Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Why Now? ❯ Why Now? ( Chapter 3 )

The nurse turned and left his room to retrieve the boys in the waiting room.

Trowa sighed and laid back into his pillows, he couldn't wait to see his friends...especially Quatre.

A few moments later, there was a light tap on his door and Duo's huge violet eye peeking in. "Tro? Can we come in?"

"Yeah."

Duo pushed the door open and walked in, taking a seat at the foot of the bed, Wufei followed him in shortly after and stood by the window, watching the cars below drive by in streaks of white light as they drove through the dark street.

"Where are Heero and Quatre? The nurse said..." Trowa asked them, and was answered quickly by Duo.

"They're here...Quatre's, well...kinda shaken up. He's afraid of what he might see, like..."

"Like blood?"

"Yeah...and maybe you missing a limb or two...or machines attached to you everywhere..."

Trowa chuckled a little. "I would be scared if I woke up and seen that sight myself."

"You wouldn't be the only one, Barton," Wufei chimed in, leaning against the wall by the window, facing him.

"So when are they coming in here?"

"Who knows? Quatre had a rough time when he found out, and he's scared that you might die while he's in here. He wouldn't be able to handle such a thing..."

Trowa let out a soft sigh. He was hoping Quatre would be the first one in the room to see him.

While Trowa told Duo and Wufei the story that the nurse had told him, Heero and Quatre were outside his room.

"Why don't you want to go in yet, Quatre?"

"I'm...I...I don't want him too see that I've been crying...I don't want him to think I'm a little child..." he said sadly, his head bowed to conceal his puffy and pink eyes.

Heero sighed. "The longer you wait, the less time you'll have to see him."

"I know that...I'm just not ready yet."

"Well, I'm going in so..."

"Okay."

Heero looked at him sadly for a moment, and then strode through the door, closing it softly behind himself.

Everyone looked up at him, and asked simultaneously, "Where's Quatre?"

Heero lowered his head and hitched his thumb towards the closed door. "Outside."

"Let me talk to him..." Duo said and stood up.

"He's just not ready yet, Duo," Heero replied softly.

Duo sighed and walked back to his seat and sat down heavily.

~Quatre~

I can't hide from him forever. But it's just so hard on me; I don't want him to know that I love him, and that I've been crying for him. I don't want him to be disgusted by a glance of me, by my mentioned name.

Boys aren't supposed to love boys, but yet, for me that's not true.

I've never been attracted to girls, other than my sisters, but that's a different kind of thing all together. Sisters are people you've grown up with and have known all your lives without trying to get to know them, and somehow, I've gotten to know Trowa without trying.

I hope Duo doesn't say anything to him about what happened in the car...

"Trowa?"

The emerald-eyed boy shook himself from his thoughts and his eyes focused on Heero.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know when you're allowed to come back home, or have they told you yet?"

He shook his head. "No clue."

The four boys went on talking about meaningless things for a long time, Quatre still outside the door, and Trowa wondering why he hadn't come in yet, until the nurse came in about quarter till 10.

"I need to ask you to leave now. Trowa needs his rest, and so do you boys. I'll give you another 5 minutes, but that's all," she said and left shortly after.

They all said their good-byes and started to walk out the door.

"Hey. Where's Quatre? He never came in..."

Heero, Wufei, and Duo all looked at each other.

"You're right. He didn't," Duo said. "Hang on a sec."

Duo scrambled out the door, turned and looked down to see Quatre in a ball asleep on the floor, red streaks down his cheeks from the paths his tears had taken.

"Poor Quatre," he sighed and picked him up, cradling him in his arms.

He turned back to Trowa's room and managed to get the door open without dropping the blonde.

The boys all looked at Duo, then the sleeping form in his arms.

Trowa sighed heavily and the three turned and looked at him.

"You okay, Trowa?" Heero asked.

"I'm fine. You can set him down on the bed, Duo, that way he can be comfortable and it's not that much trouble on you."

The violet-eyed boy laid Quatre down across the foot of the bed. "He's kinda heavy for such a little guy."

The nurse popped her head in. "Okay. Time's up."

Duo reached down to pick Quatre up when the nurse noticed the sleeping boy.

"You can leave him here. I feel sorry for him, falling asleep in the hall like that. I'll have him moved to the spare bed later."

Duo, Heero, and Wufei said their good-byes again and left the room, leaving Quatre with Trowa.

Several hours later, Quatre had been moved to the spare bed, soundly sleeping while he was being watched by the sleep eluded Trowa.

"He's so beautiful, even while he sleeps," Trowa thought to himself.

As Trowa stared on at the boy unseeingly, Quatre began to stir.

He opened his eyes slightly and noted that this wasn't his room. 'Where am I? It's so dark in here, I can't see where I am.' As he opened his eyes wider still and rolled over onto his side, only then did he notice where he was, and who was also in the same room.

"Trowa?!" he breathed.

The other both came out of his daze and blushed as he realized where his eyes had been. "Yeah?"

"Am I in the hospital?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked, as he was confused.

"You fell asleep in the hall and Duo brought you in. The nurse didn't think it was right for Duo to carry you all the way outside, so she suggested that you stay here."

"I see," was all he simply said and rolled over to face the wall, to look away from Trowa.

"Are you feeling okay, Quatre?" Trowa asked softly, uncovering himself and walking over to Quatre's side when he heard the other boy begin to cry.

"Yeah...I'm fine, Trowa. Go back to bed," Quatre sniffed from under the covers, visibly pulling them closer.

Two saddened emerald eyes stared down at the huddle lump on the bed, then slowly sat down and reached to pull the covers from the little one's face.

Quatre tensed, his teary eyes wide as Trowa removed the blanket from his face. He looked down at the mattress, ashamed.

Trowa seen that look and caressed the boy's face with the back of his hand, looking sadly down at him.

The aqua-eyed boy didn't look away from the mattress, but closed his eyes tightly when he felt the softness of Trowa's hand on his cheek.

"What's wrong, Quatre? Please tell me..."

"I can't, Trowa," he whispered, pressing his lips together to keep from bursting into tears, but shaking from the sobs efforts to emerge.

"Why not? You've told me everything before, so what's so different this time?"

"I just can't tell you, Trowa. I'm sorry..." The floodgate burst and Quatre pulled his hands to his face and began to cry, the sobs wracking his body horribly.

Without realizing it, Trowa shed a tear of sympathy, that trailed down his cheek and onto the back of Quatre's hand. "Fine. If you want me to go back to bed, I will..." he sighed and stood, looking down at the boy one more time before walking back to his own bed, curling up facing away from Quatre, and he too cried himself to sleep.

Both boys were rudely woken up by a loud thunder clap around 4 a.m. Quatre sat bolt upright and was breathing heavily, his eyes wide and afraid for some reason. Trowa, on the other hand, merely pulled the covers over his head and curled back up, unknowing of Quatre's present state.

Eventually, both boys were sleeping again, but Trowa was again woken up by the nurse knocking lightly on the door.

He tried to sit up, but couldn't. He looked down and noticed a lump on his chest and pulled the covers up just enough to catch a glimpse of blonde. Confused emerald eyes stared at the boy sleeping peacefully on his chest, wondering how he had gotten into bed with him and not waking him up.

"Mr. Barton? Are you awake?" the nurse whispered loudly through the door.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll bring your breakfast too you in a few minutes. Should I bring something for Mr. Winner too?"

"Yes, please," Quatre responded himself, rather groggy and confused.

They heard the nurse walk down the hall, and Trowa looked down at the boy who was still half asleep on him.

"Quatre?"

"Hmmmm?"

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"Sleeping. Why?" He yawned.

"But you had your own bed. What are you doing in mine?"

Quatre blushed slightly and sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and standing.

"Quatre?"

The aqua-eyed boy wobbled back over to his bed and plopped down on the side facing the wall.

"I got scared last night..."

"Scared from what?" Trowa asked, sitting up.

"A nightmare..."

"But it was just a nightmare..."

"Not one you would understand," Quatre sighed.

"Try me."

Quatre turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Trowa.

"Please?"

The blonde sighed and turned back to the wall.

"I had a nightmare about...well, we were on a mission and you and me were paired up...something went wrong and..." he trailed off as the nurse chose that moment to enter the room with their food.

"Here you go, boys. Eat up. I'll be back in a little bit to take your trays. And I heard some good news today Mr. Barton."

"What is it?"

"You can go home later this evening if you want to. I'll see you in a little bit." She turned and left the room.

Quatre ate his food with half a smile, while Trowa was fairly excited to go home. Maybe then he could find out what was wrong with Quatre.

Later that day, Heero and Duo came to pick the two boys up and drove them home, Quatre falling asleep and eventually fell over onto Trowa's shoulder.

He turned his head slightly and smiled down at Quatre, lightly kissing him on top of his head. This didn't go un-noticed by Heero, who was looking through the rear view mirror at that time.

Heero smirked and Duo turned to look at him from the passengers seat. Duo shot him a look that said, "What's that for?" and received a glance to the back seat. Duo turned his head to look back out the windshield and smiled.

When they pulled in the driveway, Quatre stirred and yawned, pushing himself upright and unfastened his seat belt while everyone else piled out of the car.

Heero and Duo were already to the front door by the time Quatre had opened his car door, Trowa waiting patiently for him.

The blonde swung his legs out of the car and stood up, nearly falling over being half asleep.

Trowa easily caught him and put an arm around his waist to steady him, and Quatre did like-wise, but not for support.

With the other's help, Quatre made it to the house and plopped onto the couch and fell back asleep.

"So, what happened last night?" Duo asked as they walked into the kitchen.

Trowa took a seat at the table and looked out the window, away from Duo's glowing and curious eyes. "He...he cried again. But he wouldn't tell me, he was too ashamed of it, as Heero feared. And for some reason, he was sleeping in my bed this morning and he just said that he had a nightmare, but he didn't get to tell me what about."

"You mean no midnight romance? No kissy-face? No lovey-dovey sappy stuff?!"

A small smile spread across the silent-one's lips. 'I wish,' his mind said.